Everything we learned from Falcons’ eighth training camp practice

“To get ready to play football, you have to play football.”

Falcons receiver Drake London said this is the first year he’s gone full contact in a training camp practice.

With contact comes gamelike situations, and the Falcons’ training camp practice Friday in Flowery Branch brought plenty of action. Here’s what we learned from the team’s eighth practice and third padded session:

QBs steady in team periods

Still working only in 7-on-7 while nearing the end of rehab from his left ACL tear last November, Michael Penix Jr. went 6-for-9 passing with a pair of touchdowns in red zone drills — one fired into a tight window to receiver Drake London, and the other to undrafted rookie Keelan Marion in the back of the end zone.

Penix nearly tossed another touchdown to receiver Jahan Dotson, who made the catch right along the back line but drifted out of bounds on his way down. Penix’s lone misstep was a near-interception to safety Xavier Watts, who ranged to his left and deflected a pass thrown slightly behind receiver Chris Blair.

Here’s Penix’s passing chart, courtesy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s new data tool:

Tua Tagovailoa had a solid day as well, going 4-for-6 passing with a pair of completions 20-plus yards downfield to Dotson and Robinson. Tagovailoa’s pass to Dotson, who ran a deep comeback, carried plenty of velocity and was well-located.

Undrafted rookie Jack Strand went 1 of 3, all underneath, while veteran backup Cooper Rush completed 2-of-3 passes, also all within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.

Here are their passing charts:

Bijan Robinson participates in 11-on-11 for first time

After a two-day ramp-up period left him limited in practice, Robinson saw extensive action in team periods. Robinson took four hand-offs, but his most noteworthy play came through the air on a wheel route down the left sideline.

Back up in his own end zone, Robinson blew past outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari, made the snag from Tagovailoa and jogged the rest of the way to the goal line.

Robinson, who agreed to a three-year, $75 million contract extension Tuesday, looked sharp and fluid in his moments. He appears full-go moving forward.

Rookies see big snaps with starters

The Falcons continue to put their defensive rookies in positions to play significant snaps.

Second-round cornerback Avieon Terrell saw plenty of action with starters at nickel, rotating with A.J. Woods and Darnay Holmes on the first-team defense. Terrell was involved in a run stop early in 11-on-11s and appears headed for a legitimate role in Year 1.

Linebackers Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. are similarly well-positioned.

Daniels took more snaps with the starters Friday than he has at any point this training camp, working next to veteran Divine Deablo and aligning in several different spots, be it on the edge or as a more traditional off-ball linebacker.

Perkins also saw a healthy dose of first-team reps, including one play where he aligned over right guard Chris Lindstrom’s outside shoulder in the B-gap.

The Falcons have tried putting Perkins in various alignments on the line of scrimmage to maximize his unique ability to rush the passer. He had a would-be sack on a scrambling Tagovailoa before the play stopped and also batted down one of Rush’s short pass attempts.

Daniels and Perkins rotated with Christian Harris, who remains firmly in the mix to start alongside Deablo this fall.

Defensive line, outside linebacker rotations taking shape without Walker

The Falcons practiced for the second time without outside linebacker Jalon Walker, who will miss the season with a torn ACL suffered in Tuesday’s session. Without Walker, the Falcons rotated several bodies opposite Samson Ebukam, who’s taken over the perch at outside linebacker.

Third-year pro Bralen Trice and fifth-year veteran Cameron Thomas saw snaps with the starters, as did Ojulari. Throughout OTAs, minicamp and the first several training camp practices, Ojulari worked primarily with the second- and third-string defense.

Falcons outside linebackers coach John Timu wants to bring more production out of Ojulari, who had eight sacks in 2021 and six in 2024 but has battled inconsistency throughout his career.

“It’s still in him,” Timu said. “That’s why we brought him in. We want that same production.”

James Pearce Jr. practiced and saw 11-on-11 snaps with the third-string defense. He hasn’t seen much action with the starters while awaiting word from the NFL on a possible suspension, but he’s been disruptive when on the field.

Along the defensive line, Maason Smith, Brandon Dorlus and Chris Williams took a majority of the snaps together. A new name to monitor: Marlon Tuipulotu, who the team signed Tuesday. On one snap, he played alongside Williams, Trice and Ebukam, each of whom appear to be safe bets to make the roster.

Injury updates

The Falcons practiced without safety Jessie Bates III, who Stefanski said is battling a “minor back thing that he’s working through,” and the team doesn’t expect his absence to be long-term.

Stefanski also provided an update on offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor, who still hasn’t practiced since joining the team but remains active around the building.

“He’s working very hard with our strength group,” Stefanski said. “I think he’s getting closer and closer, but he’s in every meeting, in every walk-through. So, he’s getting close.”

Rookie defensive tackle Anterio Thompson, who hasn’t been spotted at any practice this offseason, is still “working through” his undisclosed matter. Thompson is currently on the nonfootball injury list.

What’s next

Primetime, under the lights.

The Falcons have a padded practice at 7 p.m. Saturday at Lanier High School in Sugar Hill, which Stefanski anticipates being a lively experience.

“Any time players [and] coaches are under the lights, there’s a little bit of juice that comes with it,” Stefanski said. “I think we all get taken back to high school days. We’re excited about the opportunity to go down to Lanier High School and practice in front of our crowd.”